This invention relates to coated, uncooked, flaked oat products and methods of making such oat products. More particularly, the present invention relates to (1) an oat product comprising coated, uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered to the oat flakes, (2) an agglomerated oat product comprising coated, uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered thereto, (3) a flavored oat product in bulk comprising oat flakes coated with a fat-free coating, and (4) a flavored oat product in bulk comprising oat flake agglomerates having a fat-free coating.
This invention also relates, in particular, to methods of making the coated, uncooked oat flake product; the agglomerated, coated oat flake product; and the coating.
Cereal manufacturers today are faced with the ever-increasing challenge of producing flavorful yet nutritious products that appeal to consumers. Nutritionally, compared with other grains, oats offer a high concentration of protein, a good distribution of amino acids, and fiber. Oat groatsxe2x80x94the component of oats that is used to form oat flakes (also termed xe2x80x9cflaked oatsxe2x80x9d herein)xe2x80x94reportedly have a high protein concentration in the range of about 13.8% to 25.5%. See Oat, Ch. 10 by V. L. Young and R. A. Forsberg, in xe2x80x9cNutritional Quality of Cereal Grains: Genetic and Agronomic Improvement,xe2x80x9d pp. 466-475, published by the American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Madison, Wis. (1987). Moreover, the amino acid composition of oat protein is good compared to other grains. Although lysine is the major limiting amino acid in oats, oats still have a higher concentration of this amino acid than is typically found in other grains. Further, rolled oat groats are a good fiber source as they contain about 1.1% crude fiber and thus provide 0.3 grams of crude fiber per ounce of rolled oat groats.
Various oat-based productsxe2x80x94namely, granolaxe2x80x94have been produced which take advantage of the high nutritional profile of the oat grain. However, because these products are produced via a baking process, they tend to have a relatively hard texture. For that reason, granola-based products are formulated to contain at least about 3 to 7 grams of fat per about 55 grams of finished product, wherein the fat imparts a tender texture to the product. Further, in the packaged granola product, the coating material tends to chip or fall off the baked granola product and settle at the bottom of the package. As a result, it is virtually impossible to obtain a uniform, bulk-packaged, oat-based granola product.
Thus, there exists a need for an uncooked oat product comprising oat flakes and having a coating adhered to the oat product which contributes no added fat to the finished oat product. There also exists a need for an agglomerated oat product comprising agglomerated, uncooked oat flakes having a fat-free coating adhered to the uncooked oat flakes. Further, there exists a need for methods for making both of the aforedescribed, inventive oat products.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a coated, uncooked oat product is provided that has no added fat and comprises uncooked oat flakes having a coating adhering to the surface of the oat flakes. The coating comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners. Typically, the coating comprises from about 0.1% to about 60% by weight, on a dry weight basis of the uncooked oat product. On a dry weight basis, the concentration of the coating is preferably in the range of from about 5% or 20% to about 50% by weight of the uncooked oat product and most preferably, in the range of from about 35% to about 45% by weight, on a dry weight basis of the uncooked oat product.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an uncooked oat product is provided comprising a coated, oat flake agglomerate, wherein each agglomerate comprises at least two uncooked oat flakes and has a fat-free coating, as described above. In such product, the coating comprises from about 20% to about 60% by weight, on a dry weight basis of the oat flake agglomerate. Preferably, on a dry weight basis, the coating accounts for about 35% to about 45% by weight of the oat flake agglomerate.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a corn grit product is provided comprising individual pieces of corn grit coated with the aforedescribed material which contains no added fat. The grits are unflaked and may be either cooked, partially cooked, or uncooked. Additionally, the coated corn grits may be clustered to form coated clusters of corn grits in accordance with the invention. The resulting products may be used as hot cereals.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method of coating uncooked oat flakes with a desired fat-free coating is provided. The method involves feeding uncooked oat flakes into a circulating drum, coating the oat flakes by spraying the oat flakes with a stream of coating material, drying the coated oat flakes until the oat flakes have attained the desired moisture content, and cooling the coated oat flakes. The method is additionally applicable to coating individual pieces of cooked or partially cooked corn grits.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming coated, uncooked oat flake agglomerates is provided. This method involves essentially the same steps as the aforedescribed method for coating uncooked oat flakes. However, in the coating step of this method, the coating material sprayed onto the oat flakes comprises a binder material that allows the oat flakes to form agglomerates of a plurality which may be two, three, four or more flakes and typically less than about 20 or 40 flakes. The method can also be used to form clusters of cooked or partially cooked corn grits.
Still another aspect of the invention relates to a method for preparing the desired coating material in solution and/or dispersion form which comprises mixing together at least one component selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners with water to form a coating mixture; and optionally heating the coating mixture to elevated temperature, which can be about 140xc2x0 F., for example, to dissolve and/or disperse the components of the mixture and form the coating material.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a flavored oat product in bulk is provided, wherein the oat product in bulk comprises uncooked oat flakes individually coated with a fat-free coating that is substantially uniform in its distribution throughout the product. Alternatively, the coating can contain fat, if desired. Also in accordance with the invention is a flavored oat product in bulk comprising uncooked oat flake agglomerates of at least two oat flakes having a fat-free coating. The coating on these two bulk products includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners and is uniformly distributed throughout the oat product in bulk. The substantially uniform distribution of the coating ensures a consistent bulk-packaged product.
Thus, the inventive coated oat flake product, the coated oat flake agglomerated product, the flavored oat product in bulk, the flavored, agglomerated oat product in bulk, and the methods for making such products address the need for a grain product that utilizes the high protein content of oats, contains no added fat, no significant amount of added fat, or added fat as desired and provides consistent product quality as the product coating does not chip or fall off the oat product, and exhibits good adherence to the uncooked grain or oat flake.
Products in accordance with the invention can be utilized as a hot cereal (with added milk or water and heat), a ready-to-eat cereal (with the addition of milk) or a snack (i.e., consumed directly from the container without further preparation).
Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from reference to the drawings.